Star Wars fans can breath a collective sigh of relief, Walt Disney Studios has reportedly tapped J.J. Abrams to direct the next “Star Wars” film for the studio. Disney purchased the lucrative franchise from George Lucas for 40 billion dollars in 2012.

Meet the Director
Abrams, the director of “Mission: Impossible III,” and the recent “Star Trek” reboot, is considered by many to be this generations Spielberg. Abrams’ production company Bad Robot is a Hollywood heavyweight, turning out event movies like “Cloverfield” and “Super 8.”

In November, Abrams told Entertainment Weekly that while the original “Star Wars” and its special effects “blew my mind,” he, declined an offer to helm the first post-Lucas “Star Wars” film. Why? Abrams already has a relationship with Paramount Studios who he will deliver the upcoming “Star Trek: Into Darkness” for on May 18, 2013. Hollywood insiders say if Abrams has signed a deal with Disney it may significantly complicate his relationship with Paramount.

The Power of the Force
The new head of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy has been reportedly meeting with several directors including Zack Synder and Ben Affleck to direct the upcoming “Star Wars” film, already slated for a 2015 release.

It’s rumored Kennedy’s relationship with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas helped bring Abrams onboard. Kennedy, who helped produce the Indiana Jones movies, in addition to “Back to the Future” movies has been a big fan of Abrams and believes he can deliver what fans are expecting. Driving script development for the new “Star Wars” film is screenwriter Michael Arndt, who also penned “Little Miss Sunshine.”

Abrams, also the co-creator of the popular television franchises, “Alias,” “Lost,” and “Fringe” is a long-time fan of the “Star Wars” franchise, he told Hollywood Life the film “is one of my favorite movies of all time.”

But unfortunately, for any director, “Star Wars” also comes with a lot of baggage, Abrams said this before he got the job: “I frankly feel that — I almost feel that, in a weird way, the opportunity for whomever it is to direct that movie, it comes with the burden of being that kind of iconic movie and series. I was never a big “Star Trek” fan growing up, so for me, working on “Star Trek” didn’t have any of that, you know, almost fatal sacrilege, and so, I am looking forward more [than] anyone to the next iterations of “Star Wars” movies.”

The Next Generation of Filmmakers
Abrams comes from a new generation of filmmakers who are their own PR engine, using ComicCon, Twitter and Reddit AMA’s to engage with fans. They’re making movies with Final Cut Pro and even may have spent a summer at a film camp. For this generation, there are so many ways to make and share films and the results seldom less than amazing.

iTunes made the record store digital, the iPhone took communication into the space age, and Siri (pronounced Sir-ree) is Apple’s latest step toward our technological future.

Siri, a voice recognition feature that Apple developed for iPhone 4S, allows iPhone users to quickly access information just by asking your phone.

Science Fiction, Science Fact
The iPhone 4S is the fastest selling iPhone ever. AT&T reported it activated a million of the devices over a three-day period. And now those million-plus people are asking Siri for weather reports, restaurant recommendations and to text their wife. But did you know that Apple actually created the Siri back in 1987? Really. And then it was called the Knowledge Navigator.

Think of it like the Jetsons’ version of Google. Don’t believe us? See for yourself:

Apple also predicted when the technology would come to market, way back in 1987. Take a close look at the dates in the Knowledge Navigator video; the professor is looking for a paper from 2006, “about five years ago.” The date on the professor’s calendar is September 16. That would make it September 16, 2011. Apple predicted the technology – a natural-language voice assistant (built into a touchscreen Apple device) – but missed the date…but by only a month.

Can You Hear Me Now?The Star Trek talking computer we grew up with as science fiction is now science fact. Voice recognition is considered the pinnacle of technology control.

But voice-controlled technology represents problems, though. People and their voices are unique, we pronounce words differently, and in many cases, with a regional accent. Apple believes the voice technology it has created is advanced enough to work. And, amusingly, it does.

It’s amazing to see what people do with technology and even more amazing to see what developers can do with smartphones these days. App development for iPhone and iPad is big business and consumers keep the demand high for apps and cutting-edge technology, such as Siri.